


Episode Twenty-Three:  The Race

by keirajo



Series: Transformers: Star Voyager [24]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Excitement, M/M, Multi, Race, Racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 06:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17913680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keirajo/pseuds/keirajo
Summary: Blurr against the elite racers on Velocitron--ENOUGH SAID!!!





	Episode Twenty-Three:  The Race

**Author's Note:**

> Character notes:
> 
> While most of the racers are characters you should recognize from mostly G1 of Transformers there are two specific notes I'd like to address here. :)
> 
> Breakaway--we all know this mech by a different name more commonly, which is "Getaway". Over the years, as Hasbro lost licenses, they lost the use of many G1 names........such as until Michael Bay paid for the rights to get "Hot Rod" back, Hasbro was forced to either use "Hot Shot" or "Rodimus" for the character. Getaway is a name Hasbro lost the rights to, so when the revamp figure under the Titans Return toyline was released, we were given the new name "Breakaway". Uh, from a personal standpoint, I chose to use Breakaway here because James Roberts kind of made me hate Getaway--a sorry shame as Getaway is actually one of the only two G1 Powermasters I actually own...........I can't look at this guy in the same way anymore. XD
> 
> Excellion--while this is an existing Transformers character, this is the original JAPANESE name of said character. And I didn't used Excellion's actual design............I combined two characters based on how Hasbro reuses names (to release toys that they have rights for). The Japanese aren't restricted to copyrighted names as the Americans are, which is why you see the same names reused in so many different series here in America............original or dubs of a Japanese anime. So, Excellion is the character name from "Galaxy Force", which we know as "Transformers: Cybertron" here, so the name Hasbro used for the character was "Hot Shot"--the frame design I used is Hot Shot's second design from "Super Link" (Transformers: Energon). About the name translation.............while I've seen a few people translate the name as "Accelion" or a mutated spelling thereof, I would like to point out the katakana that starts out the name is "eh" and NOT "ah"--therefore, more rightly, it should be read as Excellion. Reading katakana is something I'm actually very good at. :)

Episode Twenty-Three:   The Race

 

 

            “ _Hello race fans!   It’s me, your lovely commentator extraordinaire— **Camshaft**!_”  The smaller grey-and-white mech laughed heartily into the microphone.   “And with me today is everyone’s favorite moody-but-handsome mech, _Breakaway_!”   He continued, eying the exterior holoscreens in the sky above the race track, to ensure everyone could see them in the observation booth.

            “Honestly, _why_ do you call yourself lovely—a femme is _‘lovely’_ , a mech is supposed to be _‘handsome’_ ,” the blue-and-white and red-striped mech grumbled with mild annoyance.

            “You’re just peeved that you were disqualified from the World Drive Cup this year because you lost _three races in a row_ to Wildrider,” Camshaft chortled, giving his friend’s shoulder a playful shove.   “And I am _very lovely_ —you just don’t appreciate the lines of my frame like you should!”

            “I’ve just had a bad year on the track—I’ll make my comeback _next year_!”  Breakaway shot back, then he facepalmed himself for letting his friend rile him up—right where everyone could see it on the holoscreens above the track.   “Welcome, everyone, to this year’s World Drive Cup!   It promises to be a really edge-of-your seat race this year—with a _surprise racer_ filling in the twelfth slot this year.   It’s rare that we have a slot-in like this anymore, but you **_won’t_** want to keep your eyes off this mech—he hails from the colony of Corona and is sponsored by none other than the legendary _Nitro of Narrowpath Fields_!”  The white-and-blue mech responded, focusing back on his job for the day—announcing for the biggest race on Velocitron.

            The crowd went into a frenzied roar upon hearing the name of their beloved and legendary champion.

            “I saw this young mech’s qualifying times, officiated by Stinger himself, and they are indeed impressive!”  Camshaft said, switching into his serious mode.   “Regardless—he’s _never_ raced on a Velocitronian track before and that may present some unique challenges to this young mech from Corona.”

            “It may also be to his benefit that he’s never raced professionally on a Velocitronian race track,” Breakaway said, suddenly, slapping his servo over Camshaft’s mouth to stop him from rambling on uselessly.   “The racers who call this world home may let their memory of the track interfere with their focus, because they’ve supposedly got the tracks _‘memorized’_ —it will all be fresh and new for Blurr of Lumiere from Corona, his focus is bound to be _flawless_!”

            Camshaft tore Breakaway’s servo off from his mouth and leaned back in to the microphone in front of him.   “All that having been said—young Blurr is up against some of the elite of Velocitron’s racing world!   Not just the aforementioned Wildrider, but his racing rival Dead End is in this too!”  The smaller mech said, excitedly.

            “Not to mention their usual practice partner Dragstrip also qualified this year, as well—this is Dragstrip’s first time making it to the World Drive Cup…………though his partners have already been in it many times before,” Breakaway said, seriously, because somebody here had to take this thing seriously.   “Adding in some fresh blood will bring a new spin to the race.”

            “As long as that doesn’t become _a spin-out_ , it’s all good!”   Camshaft chortled, cheerfully.

            “Honestly, I do wish you’d keep your mouth shut sometimes,” the white-and-blue mech groaned.

            “I’ll keep my mouth shut if you’ll…………” the smaller mech taunted, which earned Breakaway’s servo slapping over his mouthpiece again.

            “ _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that’s enough of that_ ,” Breakaway snorted.   “We do have more fresh faces in this year’s race, not just our guest from Corona.   Hubcap qualified this year and _that_ is impressive………….he’s a good bot, tries so hard every year and finally his endurance won the day!”

            “I saw that he raced in nothing but long, endurance races all year to qualify,” the smaller mech added as soon as his commentating partner pulled his servo away from his mouth.   “That’s an accomplishment all on its own, believe you me!”

            “A lot of mechs and femmes try to go and do a lot of the shorter races, to get the faster times and better placements.   But I wonder if sometimes they forget that the World Drive Cup is long and endurance is the key, so kudos to Hubcap for sticking to races that would better prepare him for this epic race!”  Breakaway added to his partner’s comments.

            “There’s another mech who stuck to the long, endurance races this year— _Roadbuster_ ,” Camshaft said, a light chuckle in his voice.   “Most would scoff at a buff offroadster entering this race, but as my dear partner said— _endurance_ is a key in this particular race.”

            “You can’t discount his tenacity, that’s for certain.   The same can be said for this year’s other fresh face— _Excellion_!  I am honestly pleased that if I couldn’t make it into the qualifiers this year, that **_he_** did!”  Breakaway said firmly.   “And if you haven’t seen his new paint job—clearly you’ve been hiding under a rock.   It’s definitely an homage to his hero and fellow racer from Narrowpath Fields, Nitro!”

            “ _Oh, Primus, **yes**!_   I _adore_ his new paint job—while he went silver rather than white for the base color, his glyphs and the flames are definitely in homage to darling Nitro—who is here watching the event today, as you know!”   Camshaft said, excitedly.

            “Yes, yes………… _we know_.   I’m sure she’d like the opportunity to _enjoy the race_ and not be harassed by everyone today,” the blue-and-white mech with red racing stripes groaned softly.   “We have some of the old standbys in this race, too…………..the tenacious mech, Chase, and the wild mech, Overdrive.   With fan-favorites such as Pointblank, Sizzle and Lightspeed also all returning to the Cup as well, to round off today’s mob of twelve!”

            “My gosh, it is shaping up to be one of _the most exciting races_ in years with all these newbies to the World Drive Cup and even an _offworlder_!   Hang in with us as we go through details of the mechs on the roster for today’s race—even as you fill some trays with snacks and drinks to settle in for this epic about to be run before you!”  Camshaft said excitedly, reaching over and glomping onto Breakaway’s shoulder, which had the taller mech facepalm himself again.

            Meanwhile, in a preparation room, Blurr was with Override and Rodimus Prime—getting even more psyched up for the race.

            “Those two are certainly an energetic lot,” Override chuckled.  “I’ve been in races where the commentators are _utterly boring_ —would practically put me to sleep on the track.”

            “It sounds like you’re in for a pretty intense race, Blurr,” Rodimus responded with a smile at his very best friend.

            “It’ll be nice to try my skills at their utmost for a change.   There just aren’t tracks like this on Corona,” Blurr said, grinning over at Rodimus.

            “Don’t forget— _the rules of signage_.   Do **_not_** ignore them,” Override said, seriously.   “If the signs say _‘alt mode only’_ —then you make sure to stay in your vehicle mode until you see a sign that says otherwise.   If the sign says _‘primary mode only’_ , do not be in your vehicle mode for that section of the course.   They’re few and far between, but there are obstacle portions that can **_only_** be cleared in your primary mode.   These were inserted into track racing to keep things fresh and to stop people from spacing out in track memorization—as Breakaway said earlier.”

            “So, what happens if Blurr’s in vehicle mode when it says _‘primary mode’_ or vice versa?”  Rodimus asked, gazing over at Override curiously.

            “Instant and immediate disqualification,” the stocky femme answered, gazing at Rodimus with a wry smile.

            “I know you’ll shine in those parts too, Blurr—Magnus trained us from the day we were steady on our pedes to dodge, move and fight,” the flame-colored mech said, excitedly.  He leaned over and gave his very best friend a warm and gentle hug.

            Blurr smiled and hugged his flame-colored friend back, reaching up to pull the now-taller-mech’s head down to touch his.   “You’re _sure_ we have the time for this, bro?”   He asked, softly.

            “ _Yeah_.   It’s fine.   Brainstorm should be getting the spacebridge ready—we’re going to split up a little after this because………….I need a force coming in from the outside to try and throw the Decepticons off-guard.   And that’s those on the _Star Voyager_ ,” Rodimus explained, softly.   “It’s…………. _Unicron_ is the one I need to worry about—the Decepticons are what everyone else needs to worry about.”

            “So, why do you need the spacebridge ready if you want to try a dual-pronged assault?”  Override asked, tilting her head at the young Autobot Leader.

            “I need to take the Spark back to Cybertron and speak with Primus,” Rodimus sighed, pulling away from Blurr and stepping back.  He folded one arm across his chest to grab his other limp arm.   “I also need to get Prowl to rally the Autobots to fight the Decepticons, too…………and plan the attack a little more.   So I have to go on ahead while you guys fly to Cybertron…………and I’ll warn against it when we’re ready, but don’t use the quantum engines to just jump to Cybertron—you don’t know what you’re coming into, so………….just use the speed of the ship.”

            “Are you sure there’s nothing else we can do to help you out, bro?”  Blurr asked, very worried at seeing Rodimus’ nervous posture.

            “Right now, _no_.   Later, _most definitely_ ,” the young, flame-colored mech murmured.   “ ** _Um_**.  I’m gonna go out and join Mags in the stands so I can watch the race.   Good luck, Blurr………..do your best,” he said, softly.   Then Rodimus turned and strode quickly out of the room.

            “Why do you suppose he’s hiding so much from us?”  Override sighed, looking over at Blurr.

            “It’s the way Roddy’s always been,” Blurr responded, shrugging.   “He may throw that devil-may-care attitude out there, but really he shoulders the weight of worrying for everyone and everything without asking for help at all.”

            “Do you think he’s hiding a bad ending from us—even though he claims we’re all going to survive?”  The stocky femme asked of her ward, curiously.

            “Honestly, matri—I don’t think he knows the _definitive ending_ to this battle against Unicron,” the blue-colored mech responded, shaking his head and folding his arms over his chest.   “I think Primus has shown him that the ones he cares for will live, but I don’t think he’s seen his own ending.”

            “ _Hmmmm_ ,” Override murmured, softly.

            “I know you told me I don’t have to win, matri—but just you watch, _I’m going to win this race_ ,” Blurr said, firmly, grinning over at his guardian.   “I’m going to win for you.   And for Roddy, who’s always been there for me and gave me this chance.”

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

            The excitement had built into a fever pitch, as the track was prepared and the starting line was set up.   The basic shape of the track was a figure-eight, with some loop-twists and inserted obstacle sections, requiring racers to be in their primary modes to traverse it—the starting line was also the finish line.   The track was pretty massive though—it encompassed the size of five cities, which were far below the ground of the track.  Even though the host city was Acceleration Avenue this year, the track was actually owned by six cities on Velocitron.

            “ _And here we go!_    The racers are entering the stadium in the order of their qualification rank!”  Camshaft said, excitedly, standing up and leaning over the microphone in his commentator’s booth.   Breakaway sighed and grabbed the back of his neck to pull him back in to his seat.   “Each racer has been given a temporary decal denoting their qualification rank to make it easier for betting and commentating purposes.   All betting ends as soon as all racers are at the starting line—so if you haven’t gotten your bets in yet, your time is running out!”

            “In the number one slot is _Excellion_!   The racer in silver with red glyphs and flames, your hometown hero from Narrowpath Fields!”  Breakaway said, very loudly so his voice went right over the rambling speech his commentating partner was giving.   “At rank number two we have _Dead End_ ………….one of three racers in this year’s World Drive Cup from the city of Swiftlane Circle—with one of his racing partners, _Wildrider_ , claiming rank number three!”

            “The place you should’ve had this year, _eh_ , Breakaway?   Don’t worry, after the race, come to my hab suite and I’ll comfort you for your loss!”   Camshaft chortled gleefully as he watched the racers enter the stadium area of the track.

            The young silver mech, with yellow-orange derma and his glyphs and patterns in red strode into the stadium, waving with both servos and yelling cheerfully up at the roaring crowds.   He was closely followed behind by the red-and-grey mech from Swiftlane Circle, known as Dead End—with his racing partner from the same city, Wildrider, right behind him, in the colors of black-and-grey with window paneling for his alt mode tinted a rich red color.

            “Like I need to be comforted by an egomaniac like **_you_** ,” the blue-and-white mech snorted.   “In rank number four we have the devoted racer from Acceleration Avenue, _Chase_ ………….with _Overdrive_ of Redlight Drive in rank number five!”   Breakaway announced, still holding Camshaft down by the back of his neck.   “From the higher-learning capital of Velocitron, Intensity Lane, we have the well-educated racer known as _Pointblank_ taking up the slot in rank number six!”

            Camshaft wondered if the crowd could even hear their commentary, as loud as they were out there.   He gazed down at the track to see the black-and-red mech known as Chase calmly enter the stadium, focused on the road before him and not even looking up at the crowds.   The mech that followed him into the stadium had the same color scheme of black-and-red on his frame, but he was about twice as tall as the mini-bot, but Overdrive happily waved at the crowds and howled with them in excitement.   Pointblank was much like Chase, as he followed the two red-and-black mechs into the stadium—he was focused on the road before him and tuned out the crowds.

            “In rank number seven we have the bulk-frame offroadster, _Roadbuster_ —don’t underestimate this mech from Downshift Street, his all-terrain alt mode lets him race consistently no matter the track pavement!”  Breakaway announced, finally letting go of Camshaft’s neck.   The littler grey-and-white mech settled down and leaned over his microphone to make some more comments about Roadbuster, which Breakaway had to slap a servo over his mouth so he could continue with introducing the racers.   “For rank number eight we’ve got the mech who’s often doing stand-up routines when he’s not racing, it’s _Sizzle_ from Acceleration Avenue……..followed up by our ninth ranked racer, _Lightspeed_ , also from Intensity Lane!”

            The tall and bulky mech with colors of green, brown and orange on his frame entered the stadium with a polite wave up at the crowds………..Roadbuster was a mech of few words and all focused on action.   Right behind him was a shorter mech with red derma and black armour, he had some piping on the sides of his hips and waved cheerfully up at the crowds………….Sizzle was definitely a people person.   The cool and calm Lightspeed, in frame colors of red-and-white, was a lot like his fellow racer from Intensity Lane—focused only on the road and race before him.

            “Rounding out the end of the mob we have our final three racers…………..at rank number ten we have the friendly and outgoing _Hubcap_ —he is seriously **_the nicest guy_** you could ever meet.   Hailing from Drifting Pathways, he is most likely the friendly face you’d meet in the welcome center!   With rank number eleven we have the third of our trio from Swiftlane Circle, the focused racer _Dragstrip_!”   Breakaway said, excitement growing in his voice as he was about the announce the last racer—the foreigner to Velocitron.   “And at our final rank of number twelve, we have the visitor from Corona—the ward of our beloved hero Nitro—let’s give a special Velocitron welcome to _Blurr of Lumiere_!”   He said, loudly, finally removing his servo from Camshaft’s mouth.

            “I’m looking forward to seeing what this kid can do, to be honest,” the small grey-and-white mech laughed.

            The crowds were getting amped up at the final three racers entered the stadium.   First was the small, yellow-colored mech from Drifting Pathways—the always-friendly Hubcap.   Following behind him was the taller yellow-and-purple mech known as Dragstrip.   And the final one to enter the stadium to a mixed roar of excitement and buzz of curiousity was Blurr.   Blurr looked into the crowds for his familiar flame-colored best friend and could easily spot him and the _oh-so-familiar_ spoiler.   He waved in the direction of where Rodimus Prime was sitting next to Ultra Magnus, along with the three femmes………….Override, Moonracer and Firestar.   He knew that Grotusque and Roadfire were probably watching the broadcast back on the ship—a crowd like this would probably overwhelm the shy Grotusque and it was nice of Roadfire to remain behind to stay with the mech from Gaea.

            Very shortly, the twelve racers took their positions, as denoted by the numbers laid out on the starting lanes displayed on the track—it was all digital, so could easily be readjusted based on the number of racers in the race.   They all stood in their primary modes—some of them stretching, some of them meditating and some of them still waving excitedly at the crowds.   Then a sharp buzz resounded over all the loudspeakers in the stadium and all the racers focused on a holoscreen before them.

            The holoscreen focused with the message “ ** _alt mode only_** ” and instantly all racers transformed into their vehicle modes.   Most of them had pretty stereotypical race car style alt modes.  Dragstrip’s form was slim compared to his other racing partners—he had a tapering front end and a spoiler fin on his back.   Pointblank’s alt mode was similar to Lightspeed’s—a narrower frame—except that Pointblank had some small, decorative fins on the sides of his rear end.   Sizzle had a typical race car form, with his side-pipes pointing upwards from where his doors should be.   Hubcap and Roadbuster were the only ones whose alt mode was not a dedicated race frame style—Hubcap’s alt mode was a compact vehicle with something of a square-ish shape to it.   Roadbuster’s vehicle frame was a big, bulky offroad vehicle with massive tires and a large square shape.

            Blurr focused his optics forward on the holoscreen and tuned out the other racers.   Race mentality meant most of them would gun it and try to take off as fast as they could—likely making them a mass of vehicles stuck together in a group until they chose to upshift or downshift to break away from the pack.   There was no way Blurr was going to get caught in that mess—he didn’t have to be the first one out of the gate, just as long as he paced himself, watched the signs and………………came in first at the finish line!

            Then  the holoscreen showed a light display.   Three lights horizontally with the first one red, the other two dim.   A little “ _ding_ ” resounded as soon as the red light popped up.   Engines began to rev and roar.   Small flames shot from Sizzle’s decorative piping and a burst of grey smoke vented out of Roadbuster’s exhaust pipe.  A second “ _ding_ ” sounded as the light on the holoscreen changed to yellow.   More engines began sounding in a starting up form.    Then the holoscreen’s light changed to green with a sharp bell sound.

            Almost all the racers took off like a shot—stuck in the very same mob that Blurr had already anticipated.   Hubcap and Roadbuster held back, staying slightly behind the pack of racers in front of them, while Blurr shot off, swerving very far outwards to the left-hand rails of the track.   No sane racer would ever ride the _far rail_ of a track—most kept to the _inner rail_.   And even though it was a figure-eight track, the inner rail would be the one to the right side of the racers, Blurr swerved far off to the left and avoided the pack entirely.

            The young blue-colored mech had been warned about what a track like the World Cup Drive’s might contain—clearly it was a race for vehicle modes combined with a few obstacle portions for robot modes.   But not just that—there was a reason that racers like Hubcap, a small personal vehicle, and the offroad combat vehicle that was Roadbuster, could possibly have a chance to qualify for a race like this.

            That meant the track was not all smooth and consistent pavement.   It likely had some rough terrains and maybe even some pavement that could have been treated to resemble wet pavement or slippery pavement.   Blurr focused only on the track and let the other racers stay on his periphery and not distract him from doing his best on a varied course such as this.

            And this is why it was always so great to race with Hot Rod.   Hot Rod was unlike all the professional racers Blurr went against back on Corona—the flame-colored mech was cunning and sharp and _focused on winning_ ……………just like the majority of the racers on Velocitron.   The race was everything and the winner was the top of the charts.   But focusing only on winning distracted you from those who might be giving you the challenge of your lifetime.   It may have been Hot Rod’s flaw as a racer, but it was Blurr’s benefit of racing against him for all of their very short lives.

            “ _Awwwwwwwwwwww_ …………is the foreign newbie afraid of the pack?”   A voice said as Blurr suddenly felt a presence on his right.

            “I think he’s doing the right thing by being cautious,” another voice said from slightly behind him.

            Suddenly someone swerved behind him and up the smooth siding of the protective rail of the track—though the extended wall was going to be gone soon, then they’d hit the bulk of the track properly.   The mech who swerved behind him rode up the wall and flipped over a couple times before they landed directly in front of Blurr.

            Ah, the three who were racing partners from Swiftlane Circle.

            It figured they’d probably hang out and perform closely with one another on the track.

            “I’m flattered that you all are **_flirting_** with me so shamelessly, but I really don’t have much interest in _mechs_ —I very much prefer _femmes_!”   Blurr chortled, not letting their stunts and taunting get to him.   His focus must be on the race and the track itself.

            “ _Heh_.  I like you, kid!   You’ve got the guts to take on the best—and do it laughing all the way!”  The voice from behind him said with a deep rumble of laughter.  “The name’s _Dead End_.  Mech in front of ya now is _Wildrider_ , to your side is _Dragstrip_.”

            “ _Blurr_ ,” the blue-colored mech chuckled.

            “Gotta admit, the way you swerved off from the mass was pretty gutsy,” Wildrider responded , pulling away from in front of Blurr and edging towards the far side of Dragstrip.

            “Yeah, let’s see how you pace and endure, kiddo!”  Dragstrip chortled, swerving off away from Blurr.

            “Check ya at the finish line, kid!”  Dead End laughed, following his fellow racers. 

             The three mechs from Swiftlane Circle went back into the race and drifted towards the general chosen right edge of the rail, just as the track began to narrow and the sloping walls began to get lower.   Soon the track would become a mere five lanes and the guard rails would be to the height of the windows for most of the race car type vehicles.   So Blurr knew those three mechs wouldn’t be able to mess with a stunt like wall-riding and the flips again, not for a long while yet.   It was going to soon take all the focus to avoid the other vehicles and to pass them without getting too close and falling for any taunts or tricks.

            Blurr focused and watched intently for the signs or any pavement changes on the track.

            The pavement changes came first and Blurr pretty much got a small advance warning as soon as he saw the sliding of the pack ahead of him.   It began breaking up the mass of racers as they slid away from each other to avoid collisions.   The only one charging straight forward ahead was Roadbuster—his massive tires and treads were perfect against the ice-like substance laid on this portion of the track.   Blurr watched the separation of the racers, the pulling ahead of Roadbuster and took a chance.

            He sped up before hitting the ice-like substance and then eased off the acceleration—sliding confidently forward like he was riding skis on a snowy downhill slope.   The sliding forwards increased his pace and momentum and the moment Blurr felt familiar smooth pavement beneath his treads again, he pressed the acceleration and shot forwards, right past Roadbuster.

            It put him in the lead, for now.   But it wouldn’t be for long—they hadn’t even made it through a quarter of the track yet.   It didn’t matter if he were knocked out of the lead right now, it only mattered when he got to the final quarter of the race.   For now Blurr just had to trust in his pace and his endurance— _he could do this_.   His matri taught him how………….his best friend helped him out.   They were **_both_** out there watching him right now and he was going to win this race for them!

            “Race fans— _this is fantastic_!”  Camshaft said, excitedly.   “Blurr is totally showing his skills with that maneuver on the ice— _it was brilliant_!   He’s in the lead, but the pack is gaining on him fast as we head on up to the very first obstacle portion of the race!”

            “The young mech from Corona truly has the focus and skills which will let him go all the way,” Breakdown added, eying the positions of all the racers on the track so far.   “While many are still in groups along the course at this point, we do have definite positions for the second place and last place as well—at this point Roadbuster is right behind Blurr and it looks like Sizzle suffered some kind of flame out on his piping and it’s slowing him down, keeping him in last place at this point.   But we’re barely through a quarter of the race and it’s truly still _anybody’s win_ at this point!”   He continued.

            Even before he knew it, Blurr had reached the first obstacle portion and saw the holoscreen that announced “ ** _primary mode only_** ” and transformed into his robot mode as he flipped and landed on top of a crag.  _IT WAS A PIT TRAP_.   The massive pit was yards and yards wide.   Blurr eyed the whole pit and saw the crags littered all through it, but there was something odd to the patterns and the coloring of the crags.   His optics followed the strangely colored crags and saw where the line led to the other end of the pit.

            _‘Oooooh, **nice**!   The darker colored crags are the path that’ll get you easily to the other side!’_   Blur thought.  He laughed as he jumped and leapt and flipped on the darker colored crags, reaching the other end of the pit trap—followed quickly behind by the red-and-blue mech from Intensity Lane.

            “You figured that trap out pretty quick, plus you’ve got moves and speed, even in your primary mode,” Pointblank chuckled, flipping off the last crag and landing next to Blurr as the young mech began running and waiting for the next sign to pop up.   “I’m _very_ impressed—you’re **_not_** all ego and charge.   You’ve got some brains inside of you!”

            “ _Thanks!_    Pointblank, right?   I’m Blurr—top of my class as the university in Lumiere!”  The young blue-colored mech laughed as he ran quickly alongside of the Velocitronian.   “I’ve never seen a mech who could keep up with my speed in primary mode!   _Very cool!_ ”

            “I appreciate the compliment!”  Pointblank laughed.

            Just then, they both saw the holoscreen appear before them that said “ ** _alt mode only_** ” and immediately transformed back into their vehicle forms.   Soon enough the other racers began catching up with them.   The pack was beginning to form once more.   Places changed quickly, back-and-forth with some pulling forward and some falling behind, Blurr was very careful to keep away from the mass of the racers, so he was better prepared for the next pavement change which sent several racers careening into each other and against the guard rail walls.

            The moment his wheels hit the new pavement texture, Blurr _felt the drag_.   It was a rough, grooved pavement—and not just that, the grooves were in a wave pattern that drew wheels away from the center of the track in towards the guard rail walls.   The blue-colored mech slowed down to a crawl instantly, before the grooves made his wheels pull towards the walls—as had happened with the other racers careening through the area at full speed.

            Hubcap was one of the ones who slowed down instantly, like Blurr and crawled along beside the larger blue-colored mech.

            “Nice to meet ya, Blurr—I’m _Hubcap_ ,” the little yellow VW Beetle said cheerfully.   “This pavement _always_ gets ‘em—you’d think they’d be better prepared for it every time.   Though it’s not going to slow Roadbuster in the least,” he laughed warmly.

            “Nice to meet you, too!”   Blurr chuckled.   “I think we lost three or four racers—not sure they’re going to be back in the race now.   The smaller red race car, the funny car and the jet car.”

            “Yeah, Chase is usually a lot better than **_this_** —he must’ve been holding a conversation with Sizzle and they collided when they hit the grooved pavement,” Hubcap sighed, checking on the small red race car and the black funny car in his rearviews.   “But Lightspeed—he really smashed in his front end.  I think he’s _definitely_ out of the race.”

            “Wait, what are _those three_ doing?”  Blurr gasped, checking his rearviews and he saw Dragstrip swivel around so his front end faced the opposite direction of forwards.

            “Aww man…………I thought Dragstrip was really in it to win it this year—it figures he qualified _only_ to help his buds make it to the end!”   Hubcap groaned as he checked his rearviews too.

            Dead End and Wildrider used Dragstrip’s vehicle mode frame as a ramp—especially since it’s design was low in the front end and high in the back end.   The red-and-grey sports car shot up into the air from his friend’s frame as a ramp, flipping in the air, followed instantly by the black sports car with the red windows, flipping in the air as well.   Their wheels met each other in the air and they continued their spiraling flip together, only pulling apart once they’d cleared the rough, grooved pavement and landing in front of Blurr and Hubcap.   Only the squeal of tires as they peeled out in front of the two mechs drowned out the sharp explosion of the blowout on Dragstrip’s tires.

            _Four racers_ were now **_out of the race_** :  Dragstrip, Lightspeed, Chase and Sizzle.

            _Eight racers_ were now **_left_** :  Blurr, Hubcap, Dead End, Wildrider, Roadbuster, Excellion, Overdrive and Pointblank.

            “Well now, **_that_** was the greatest folly I’ve ever seen in this race!”  Camshaft groaned, facepalming himself as he looked at the damaged racers and those still remaining in the race.

            “In a way, it’s actually _brilliant_.   The three of them clearly had this planned out in advance—working out strategies for the known pavement types and the potential obstacles that might be encountered,” Breakaway said, a lot calmer and seeing the broad perspective of the situation.   “Here on Velocitron, we’re **_all_** racers—but we’re all _solo racers_.   The brilliance of a team of racers is just a stunning twist that I seriously admire right now!”  The blue-and-white mech said in awe.   “We are just about to the halfway point of this race and we’ve lost a third of our racers, but that’s **_not_** the end of the World Drive Cup—not yet, there’s still a lot more Spark-wrenching racing up on our plates until the end!”

            The pack had _finally_ broken up.   Racers were starting to pull off on their own, spreading out on the track and ignoring the right-hand rail as the chosen guide, even as the first massive curve of the track was reached.   Almost in a straight line, all the racers drifted around the massive curve in the figure-eight track, engines roaring and tires squealing.   There was a definite number to the racers’ positions now.

            From first place to last place it was:  Wildrider, Dead End, Blurr, Hubcap, Excellion, Pointblank, Overdrive and Roadbuster.

            And the last half of the race was under way, with the next obstacle course coming up fast.

            Blurr was immediately in his primary mode the moment the holoscreen flashed with “ ** _primary mode only_** ”—but then the screen flashed “ ** _battle mode format_** ” right after that.

            “So, we gotta fight?   _What?_    Each other?”  Wildrider groaned.

            All of the sudden a great mass of drones swarmed the area from an opening in the middle of the track.

            “Hand-to-hand or can we use weapons?!”   Roadbuster snarled, look combat-ready in an instant.

            “ _Excellent question!_ ”   Camshaft chortled from the commentator’s booth.

            “Rules of this year’s race say _weapons are allowed_ , so long as you don’t aim them at each other!”   Breakaway said loudly, hoping that the racers could hear him over his fellow commentator’s chortling.

            “ _Too easy_ , then,” Blurr laughed as he leapt into the air and pulled a rapid-fire rifle from a subspace pocket in his boot.   As he flipped overhead of the swarm of drones, he set off an array of cover fire and landed on the far side of the area.   As the young blue-colored mech landed, he touched down on a servo lightly, twisting his body with a fan-kick to stop a few of the drones sneaking up on him as he landed.   “I was taught by the _legendary Ultra Magnus_ —this is absolutely nothing!”   Blurr chuckled, flipping up to his pedes as he set his rapid-fire rifle back into its subspace pocket and sprinted for the edge of the obstacle range.

            The holoscreen before him said “ ** _alt mode only_** ” and he changed instantly back into his vehicle mode and took off fast to put some distance between him and the others.   He was about one minute in the lead when he heard the commentators come back with some overall announcements on the placings now.

            “The drones really had their way with our racers.   _We lost three more racers to the drone obstacle!_ ”  Camshaft groaned.   “Hubcap, Overdrive and Dead End are now _out of the race_!”

            “Looks like we’re down to five racers left with a quarter of the course left to go.   Our current standings are…………..Blurr has a pretty wide lead, but Excellion is coming up fast on him   Pointblank and Wildrider are fighting it out for third place with Roadbuster hanging out in the back end!”  Breakaway said, sharply, double checking the datapad before him for the injuries and confirm they’re all non-lethal, just debilitating.

            Blurr knew it _wasn’t_ over yet and his lead wasn’t going to last, even **_he_** was beginning to feel a slight burn of exhaustion—this was the longest race he’d _ever_ been in before.   He’d been pacing himself severely, but would he be able to make it for that final sprint to the end?  

            The blue-colored mech couldn’t afford to think like **_that_**.   He was going to _win it_ —for Override and for Rodimus Prime, his guardian and his very best friend!

            Before Blurr knew it, he came upon the next pavement change.   This was a _simple one_.   Merely _wet pavement_ …………or maybe not so easy………….!

            **_Wet pavement with potholes!_**

            Blurr stumbled and his chassis rattled as he hit the first small pothole and that allowed the mech right behind him to catch up _fast_.

            “ _Oooooh_ , this is a nasty one!   I’ve always hated this particular pavement change!”   The mech roared with laughter right behind Blurr.   His voice sounded young and reminded him a lot of Hot Rod.   “Pleasure to meet ya, I’m _Excellion_!   And I know you’re _Blurr_ —the one raised by our beloved champion, Nitro.”

            “Nice to meet you, too—and my matri is _absolutely the best_ ,” Blurr chuckled as he slowed down and endured the bumpy pothole-littered pavement beside the mech with the silver chassis and red glyphs and patterns.   “You stole my bro’s flames though—not sure I can forgive ya for _that one_!”   The young blue-colored mech laughed.

            “Oh, the flames?   I’ve always _loved_ the pattern, Nitro wore flames once, too!”  Excellion chuckled warmly, enduring the bumpy road as well.   “Once we get past this pavement change—it’s into the all-out section of the course, the final sprint.   Are you ready, Blurr?”

            “ _So ready_ , Excellion,” Blurr responded, the tone in his vocalizer excited and happy.  “Thanks for letting me race on my matri’s home turf— _this has been my dream_!”

            “I’m glad you came to race with us……………this year’s race has been **_awesome_**!”  Excellion responded with a sense of joy deep inside of him.

            Their tires hit smooth and familiar pavement as the walls began sloping back up to meet the stadium walls.   Both young mechs shifted their engines into overdrive and gave it all they got.

            “ ** _Holy Primus, this is going to be an absolutely close one!_** ”  Camshaft cried, leaping up from his seat and leaning over his microphone.   “Two speedy young mechs sprinting towards the end—it’s gonna take the cameras to catch this one—I don’t think it’s gonna be clear enough for any of our optics!”

            “As much as I wanted to be in this year’s World Drive Cup—I’m actually glad I’m watching it this year!   Seeing all these new faces in the race and all the effort they’ve put into it…………….it’s going to give me a hell of a lot more to strive for next year!”   Breakaway said, excitedly, also bolting up from his seat with his optics glued on Blurr and Excellion sprinting for the finish line.

            It was too close to call for first place as the two young mechs crossed the finish line, but in third place was Wildrider—who rode the bumps in the potholes like a skilled stunt driver.   Oddly, the pothole-filled pavement section slowed Pointblank down, allowing Roadbuster to take a hefty lead over him, to win fourth place and that placed Pointblank in last.   However, only the first three places won anything and they were the only positions that mattered.

            Excellion and Blurr stood near the Winner’s Circle, waiting for the final results from the recording booth.   The two young mechs chatted as if they had been friends for years and Wildrider laughed as he walked towards them, congratulating them both.

            “ _And we have the results!_ ”   Camshaft cried, practically in tears at the emotional ending to this exciting race.  “A panel of three judges looked at the footage from seven different angles and confirmed……..” he began, then suddenly had a familiar servo slapped over his mouthplate.

            “ _The winner of this year’s World Drive Cup is **Blurr of Lumiere** , from Corona!_   That means hometown hero Excellion takes second place and Wildrider a solid third!”   Breakaway said excitedly, holding tightly on to his struggling fellow commentator.   “ _Congratulations to our winners and thank you all for a fantastic race!_ ”

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

            Blurr apologized that he couldn’t stay for the post-race festivities—there was a lot to do, but after the threat of Unicron had been dealt with, he promised to return for any interviews or anything else that they wanted from him.   As soon as their group could escape the mob and get back to the _Star Voyager_ , Rodimus gathered everyone in the loading bay.

            “All right, we’re about to head into the _final battle_ —at least as far as the current situation is concerned,” Rodimus Prime said, his voice soft and firm.   “It’s going to be rough and there’s going to be injuries, but I don’t believe we’ll have many casualties as long as everyone is careful in battle.”

            “So, what happens now?”  Ultra Magnus said, folding his arms over his chest.

            “Well, right now I need to take the spacebridge back to Cybertron and speak with Primus,” Rodimus answered with a deep sigh.   “What I need _you_ to do, Magnus, is to take the _Star Voyager_ and head back to Cybertron at a fast pace, **_but do not quantum jump_**.”

            “And the reason for this is………..?”  The old soldier responded, tilting his head at his lover.

            “Unicron’s EM field may interfere with a quantum jump and you won’t be able to prepare for where you land—you might even land _INSIDE_ something,” the flame-colored mech said, seriously.   “I’m going to rally the Autobots to help fight the Decepticons—I need you guys to take on the Decepticons from behind in something of a pincer move.   I can’t predict what _Galvatron_ will do, but Nemesis Prime will focus on the battle with the Autobots on Cybertron.”

            “So, we will meet again on Cybertron?”  Ultra Magnus asked, stepping forwards to look directly into the flame-colored mech’s optics.

            “ _Yeah_.   We’ll meet on Cybertron, **_I promise_** ,” Rodimus Prime answered, reaching up and grabbing the sides of his lover’s helm, giving him a brief, but deep kiss before pulling away.   “Take care of yourselves, everyone and don’t worry— _we’re all going to survive_.”

            After he said that and gave his older lover one last hug, he gave Blurr and Override a hug too, then he exited the _Star Voyager_ and walked with Stinger towards where they had the spacebridge on Velocitron.

            Ultra Magnus looked worried and puzzled as Rodimus Prime left the _Star Voyager_.   Blurr walked over to him and reached up to pat his shoulder gently.

            “Despite what Roddy says, I don’t think he knows _everything_ about the future, I think he’s trying to be positive for us all,” the younger mech said, softly.   “But I say **_we_** can make his prediction come true, what do you think, Magnus?”   He asked, looking up at the taller and older mech, a grin on his faceplate.

            “Yes, I say we make a good attempt at _that_ —so that we can truly all be reunited once more,” Ultra Magnus answered, softly.   “Override, you and Roadfire get up to the bridge—get me an estimate on how long it shall take to get to Cybertron at the ship’s fastest pace.”   Then the old soldier turned to Blurr.   “You have had a long day and are probably pretty tired.   I should like you to get as much rest as you can, because I will want your piloting skills once we get near Cybertron and engage the enemy.”

            “Got it, Magnus…………… _and_ ………….. ** _thank you_**.   It’s thanks to your training and matri’s racing tips that I won that race.   And, of course, Roddy’s friendship,” Blurr said, softly.

            “You are most welcome, Blurr—it was an _amazing_ race,” the taller and older mech responded, smiling down at the younger mech.   Then he headed off towards the bridge, while Blurr started heading for his quarters.

            “Ya were a’some,” Firestar said, gazing longingly at Blurr.

            The flame-colored femme was leaning on the door to his hab suite.   Her partner, the blue-green-colored femme, was leaning on Firestar’s shoulder.   Moonracer’s posture was definitely appealing and inviting.

            “We promised Lady Override we wouldn’t mess with you _before_ the race…………we made no promises for after the race,” Moonracer chuckled softly.

            Blurr chuckled nervously.   “ _Umm_ , but you two are………….. ** _you know_** , right?”   He asked, quietly.   He’d never been as nervous around any femme before, he had no idea why _these two_ made him suddenly so nervous.

            “ _Yeh_.   But that ain’t meanin’ we ain’t lookin’ fer a **_third_** , ya know?”  Firestar answered, grinning at Blurr.

            All of the sudden Blurr _finally understood_.   He couldn’t believe he’d been so dumb about this, especially after once telling Hot Rod how much better and more stabilizing a trine relationship was.

            “I hope you’re not _too exhausted_ after that race,” Moonracer added, smiling pleasantly at Blurr.

            “For the company of two _lovely ladies_?   I am _never_ too exhausted for **_that_** ,” Blurr chuckled, walking past them to open the door to his hab suite and motioned for them to enter before him.   He’d never be too busy for interfacing with very beautiful and very energetic femmes, _never at all_.

**Author's Note:**

> There are just three more episodes and the final battles are here. Is everyone ready? :)
> 
> Up next the following couple weeks:  
> "Closer to the Spark" (The Love of Romance series)  
> "Burn Brightly" chapter two (The Decepticon Emperor and His Autobot Lover series)


End file.
